Raptors beat Bucks 111-105; Ingram scores 29 points

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Brandon Ingram scored 29 points, Scottie Barnes added 24 and the Toronto Raptors beat the slumping Milwaukee Bucks 111-105 on Thursday night.

The Raptors have back-to-back road victories to bounce back from a four-game skid. They won 106-96 at Miami on Monday night.

Milwaukee played a fifth straight game without Giannis Antetokounmpo as the two-time MVP recovers from a right calf strain. The Bucks also were missing Kyle Kuzma due to an illness. Toronto didn’t have RJ Barrett (knee sprain) or Jakob Poeltl (lower back).

The Bucks have lost 12 of their last 15. They will be away from home for 11 of their next 14 contests, including five straight starting Sunday and running through Dec. 29.

Sandro Mamukelashvili added 18 points for Toronto. Barnes had 11 rebounds to go along with his 24 points. Jamal Shead and Immanuel Quickley each provided 10 assists.

Bobby Portis scored 24 points, Kevin Porter Jr. 22 and Myles Turner 21 for Milwaukee. Porter also had 13 assists and seven turnovers, while Portis had 12 rebounds.

HORNETS 133, HAWKS 126

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — LaMelo Ball hit seven first-half 3-pointers in his return from a right ankle injury, Charlotte had 18 in the opening 24 minutes to match the NBA and franchise records and the Hornets beat Atlanta.

After missing three games, Ball was 7 of 9 from 3-point range in the first half. He finished 8 of 11 on 3s and had 28 points and 13 assists in just over 29 minutes. Charlotte also made 18 3s in a half March 14 at San Antonio. Six teams have done it once.

The Hornets spoiled Atlanta star guard Trae Young’s return from a knee injury. Young had eight points and 10 assists in 20 minutes. He sprained the MCL in his right knee in a game at Brooklyn on Oct. 29.

Jalen Johnson just missed a triple-double for Atlanta, finishing with 43 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.

KNICKS 114, PACERS 13

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jalen Brunson made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 4.4 seconds left and scored 25 points, OG Anunoby stole the ensuing inbounds pass and New York rallied for a victory over Indiana.

Brunson also had seven rebounds and seven assists as the Knicks extended their winning streak to seven games. Mikal Bridges added 22 points and eight rebounds and Tyler Kolek had 16 points and 11 assists, both career highs, on a night the NBA Cup champions were short-handed and fell into an early 16-point hole.

Andrew Nembhard finished with 31 points on 12-of-19 shooting. He was also 4 of 5 on 3-pointers. Pascal Siakam had 26 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Bennedict Mathurin finished with 16 points and eight rebounds.

The defending Eastern Conference champions lost their third straight since coach Rick Carlisle won his 999th game. He needs one more to become the 11th member of the exclusive 1,000-win club and the first since then-Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers in November 2021.

HEAT 106, NETS 95

NEW YORK (AP) — Norman Powell scored 24 points, Kel’el Ware had 22 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks, and Miami snapped a five-game losing streak with a victory over Brooklyn.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 19 points and Bam Adebayo had 17 rebounds despite battling foul trouble as the Heat won for just the second time in December. They came into the month with 13 wins, tied for their most ever before December, but had gone 1-5 since.

Michael Porter Jr. scored 28 points for the Nets, who went cold after equaling the most lopsided victory in franchise history in their last game. Nic Claxton added 16 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.

THUNDER 112, CLIPPERS 101

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points before resting in the fourth quarter, and Oklahoma City bounced back from a rare loss to beat Los Angeles.

The Thunder lost to the San Antonio Spurs last Saturday for just their second defeat of the season, ending their team-record, 16-game win streak. They recovered on Thursday after some much-needed rest and improved to 25-2 overall and 13-0 at home.

Gilgeous-Alexander made 13 of 24 shots and had seven rebounds and six assists. It was his 98th consecutive game with at least 20 points, adding to the second-longest streak in NBA history.

Chet Holmgren scored 22 points and Jalen Williams added 20 for Oklahoma City.

James Harden, who leads the Clippers with 26 points per game, sat out with a bruised left calf. Without its star point guard, Los Angeles committed 28 turnovers, leading to 39 Oklahoma City points. Cason Wallace had five of Oklahoma City’s 18 steals.

Oklahoma City committed just nine turnovers.

Kawhi Leonard scored 22 points and John Collins added 20 for the Clippers, have lost five straight and 10 of 11.

SPURS 119, WIZARDS 94

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — San Antonio rookie Dylan Harper had a season-high 24 points and the Spurs led for all but 22 seconds in defeating Washington to rebound from a disappointing loss in the NBA Cup final.

The New York Knicks rallied from an 11-point deficit in the final quarter to beat San Antonio on Tuesday night in Las Vegas to capture the NBA Cup,

The Spurs (19-7) had the optimal opponent to bounce back against in the league-worst Wizards (4-21)

Because the NBA Cup final does not count against the season statistics or standings, San Antonio has won four straight and 11 of 14 .

Spurs center Victor Wembanyama had 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four blocks in 17 minutes. Wembanyama’s minutes were restricted in his third game back after missing 12 games due to a calf injury. San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson said pregame that Wembanyama’s minutes would be restricted Thursday in preparation for him to play Friday in Atlanta on the second night of a back-to-back.

Wembanyama blocked a layup from fellow French center Alex Sarr in the second quarter to extend his streak to 99 consecutive games with a block.

Sarr had 18 points, and Bub Carrington added 17 points.

PELICANS 133, ROCKETS 128, OT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Saddiq Bey scored 21 of his season-high 29 points after halftime, and New Orleans overcame a 25-point, third-quarter deficit to beat Houston in overtime.

Trey Murphy scored 27 points and Herb Jones had 18 points and a career-high eight steals before fouling out for the Pelicans, who’ve won three straight after winning just three of their first 25 games.

The 25-point comeback tied a franchise high and was the largest second-half comeback in franchise history, which dates back to the 2002-03 season.

Jordan Poole scored 15 points, capped by two free throws with 12 seconds left in overtime that put the Pelicans up 131-128. Houston’s Reed Sheppard missed two shots from 3-point range in the final seconds before Bey got the rebound and hit game-sealing free throws with 2 seconds left in the extra period as a jubilant crowd that had been on its feet since the final minutes of regulation celebrated the unlikely comeback.

Kevin Durant scored 32 points and Alperen Sengun had 28 for Houston, but Sengun was unable to get off a shot for the win after dribbling into the paint in the final seconds of regulation.

Sengun missed two free throws with 43 seconds left in the fourth quarter, allowing New Orleans to complete the second-half comeback and tie it at 117 on Bey’s driving finger roll with 31 seconds to play.

Rookie Derik Queen had 16 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks, and his 18-foot jumper sparked an 11-0 run early in the fourth quarter. The surge ended with Bey’s dunk and pulled the Pelicans to 101-96.

NUGGETS 126, MAGIC 115

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 23 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds to become the career assists leader among centers, and streaking Denver beat Orlando.

Jokic, who has 13 triple-doubles this season, entered Thursday six assists behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had 5,660. Jokic passed him with 6:26 left in the first half when he fed Jalen Pickett for a 3-pointer.

Jamal Murray scored 20 of his 32 points in a game-turning second quarter for Denver, which won its sixth straight.

Paolo Banchero had 26 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists for his third career triple-double and first since March 20, 2024.

The Magic, already missing leading scorer Franz Wagner due to a sprained left ankle, played without Jalen Suggs, who sustained a left hip contusion in the NBA Cup semifinal loss to New York on Saturday night.

Wendell Carter Jr. also scored 26 points for Orlando.

MAVERICKS 116, PISTONS 114, OT

DALLAS (AP) — Cooper Flagg had 23 points and 10 rebounds, Anthony Davis added 15 points and Dallas recovered to beat Detroit in overtime after blowing an 18-point third-quarter lead.

Flagg, who will turn 19 on Sunday, is averaging 25.4 points over his last eight games. The Mavericks (11-18) have won six of their last eight.

Cade Cunningham had 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his third triple-double this season for the East-leading Pistons (21-6), who have gone 6-4 following a 15-2 start. Jalen Duren had 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Davis’ alley-oop from Flagg put Dallas ahead 114-112 with 3:10 left in overtime. After Cunningham’s bank shot tied it with 1:49 remaining, Davis’ dunk with 1:32 accounted for the final points.

Cunningham’s floater with seven seconds left missed, leaving him 2 for 7 in overtime. Duren grabbed the rebound, missed a shot beneath the basket, and Davis grabbed the rebound with 0.9 seconds left.

SUNS 99, WARRIORS 98

PHOENIX (AP) — Jordan Goodwin made the go-ahead free throw with 0.4 seconds left, Devin Booker scored 23 of his 25 points in the second half and Phoenix escaped with a victory over Golden State.

Stephen Curry hit two free throws to tie it at 98 with 21.7 seconds left, setting up the Suns’ final possession. Dillon Brooks missed badly on a 3-pointer, but Goodwin was there for the rebound and got fouled on the putback attempt.

Goodwin missed the first free throw, but made the second. Brooks had 24 points, and Collin Gillespie added 16.

The teams will complete the home-and-home set Saturday in San Francisco.

The Suns survived despite a costly flagrant foul by Brooks in the final minute.

Phoenix led 96-91 with 38.3 seconds left when Brooks was called for the Flagrant 1 after hitting Curry in the stomach after a 3-point attempt. Curry hit two free throws and Jimmy Butler followed with a 3-pointer to tie it at 96 with 35.5 seconds left.

LAKERS 143, JAZZ 135

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Luka Doncic had 45 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds in his fifth triple-double of the season, and Los Angeles used a big fourth quarter to top Utah.

LeBron James had 28 points and 10 assists for the Lakers, who outscored the Jazz 41-29 in the fourth quarter.

The Lakers led by 12 in the period but the Jazz cut it to 134-130 before Doncic found Jaxson Hayes for his final assist and the cushion the Lakers needed to clinch the win.

Hayes was 7 of 7 for 16 points and is a perfect 26 of 26 in six games against Utah as a Laker.

Utah played without leading scorer Lauri Markkanen (groin), while the Lakers were missing regular starters Deandre Ayton (elbow) and Austin Reaves (calf).

Keyonte George scored 33 points, his third straight game with more than 30. Rookie Ace Bailey added 19 points for Utah, which hasn’t won three consecutive games all season.

The Lakers won for the third time in four games despite allowing their most points this season.

TRAIL BLAZERS 134, KINGS 133, OT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Deni Avdija made two free throws with 1.5 seconds left in overtime for the last of his 35 points, and Portland outlasted Sacramento to open a home-and-home set.

The teams will meet again Saturday night in Sacramento.

DeMar DeRozan hit a jumper with four seconds left to give the Kings a 133-132 lead. With no timeouts, Portland raced down the court and Avdija was fouled by Russell Westbrook. DeRozan’s 3-pointer with eight seconds left forced overtime, completing a 17-2 run in the final 2:28 of regulation.

DeRozan led Sacramento with 33 points, with 22 of the points coming in the fourth quarter and overtime. He was 3 of 4 from 3-point range, 10 of 16 overall from the field and made all 10 of his free throws.

Avdija was 12 for 19 from the field and made 10 of 12 free throws. The shooting guard also had five assists and five turnovers.

Shaedon Sharpe added 26 points for Portland, hitting 4 of 6 3-pointers. Jerami Grant scored 20 points, Donovan Clingan had 19 and Toumani Camara 17.

Maxime Raynaud added a career-high 29 points for Sacramento. Westbrook had 20 points and 10 assists. He was 8 of 11 from the field.